LORAIN -- The Lorain Police Department is beefing up surveillance in Central Lorain in the wake of the shootings on Monday that left two teens dead and one injured. Police Chief Cel Rivera speculated the shootings could be drug or gang-related based on where they happened, but no evidence has been found yet to link the crimes.

Eighteen-year-old Marquis McCall was pronounced dead at the scene Monday night after being shot multiple times in the chest during a drive-by shooting on West 13th Street near Long Avenue, Lorain police Sgt. Albert Rivera said. A friend, Craig Roberson, 17, was shot in the leg during the shooting around 10:15 p.m. Roberson was recovering from surgery yesterday at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland.

About four to five hours earlier, 16-year-old Christopher Hill was shot in the face by several unidentified men while he was sitting in a parked car on Long Avenue. Hill died at Cleveland MetroHealth Medical Center yesterday afternoon, hospital spokeswoman Phyllis Harmon said.

"Detectives will work around the clock trying to break this case," Chief Rivera said. "Local agencies will be backing us up because when you don't have the manpower, you can't get the job done."

Advertisement

McCall and Roberson were walking down West 13th Street when six men in a car gunned them down as the car passed them, Sgt. Rivera said.

Hill was approached by unknown suspects while he was sitting in a vehicle's passenger seat. The men shot into the car before fleeing the area on foot around 6 p.m., Sgt. Rivera said. Hill was driven to Community Regional Medical Center and then taken to MetroHealth by medical helicopter.

"We have potential witnesses that can identify some of the males and the vehicles, but we need to make sure their information is accurate before we put it out," Sgt. Rivera said. "I believe we have some good information. This is a very solvable investigation."

Chief Rivera said the key to finding the suspects in both crimes depends on how much citizens are willing to tell officers.

"We're dealing with this don't snitch policy where no one wants to talk," Chief Rivera said. "There is a possibility there will be other shootings if we don't get tips and wrap this up quickly."

In the meantime, Sgt. Rivera said additional officers will be patrolling the area 24 hours a day. SWAT teams and K-9 units will saturate the city, and additional units from other local agencies will assist the Lorain Police Department as well.

Lorain Mayor Tony Krasienko said citizens shouldn't be surprised if they are stopped for minor traffic violations as a result of the increased surveillance. He said suspects in similar cases are often discovered during traffic stops.

"Our main concern is allowing every citizen to enjoy their home and sit on their porch and live in their neighborhood without fear," Krasienko said. "We will do whatever it takes to get these deviants off the street."

The police department will also be using the $60,000 remaining from the Northern Ohio Violent Crime Consortium grant to pay for additional overtime hours in the area, Chief Rivera said. The grant targets four high-crime areas in Lorain, one of which is the Central Lorain area where the shootings happened.

"Officers are keeping a close eye on the neighborhood, as well as bringing to justice whoever is involved in this unfortunate accident." Lorain Safety Director Phil Dore said. "The best thing for people to do is to keep their eyes and ears open and call police when they see something they don't like,"

West 18th Street resident Mary Flores said she wasn't home during either of the shootings, but will report crime information to police. Flores is a member of the Lorain Neighborhood Watch Council.

"It's so important for people to know and watch and report any little incident before it gets out of control like this has," Flores said. "This is sad because we hear gunshots all the time, but there are never shootings like this, at least, nothing I can think of in a while."

Last night, a meeting to talk about community violence was conducted with Chief Rivera, about seven pastors and other members of the African-American community, the mayor, other city and elected officials and school Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson. The meeting had been arranged by E. Jean Wrice, of the Lorain chapter of the NAACP, Rivera said. Despite how quickly it was arranged, about 80 people attended the three-hour gathering at the Greater Victory Baptist Church at Sixth Street and Reid Avenue, he said.

"It was a very good meeting, a heart-to-heart talk. We talked about the shootings and what's going on out there and being a part of the community," he said.

"We talked about the problems we're (police) having getting information and assistance. About kids being out there without any engagement. They said they would get out of the churches and go out and reach out to kids. Walk those neighborhoods and talk to people. Take the church out to the street," Chief Rivera said.

That's the short term plan. The long term plan is to look for opportunities for the young people and have mentorship programs in church.

"We need to lower the tensions and encourage people to work with police. There are things police can't do and they can be a lot more effective. I thought it was a very good meeting," Chief Rivera said.

Anyone with crime information should call Lorain police at (440) 204-2100 or the Tipster Hotline at (440) 244-5758.